Building construction



Au'g. 23, 1938. c. s. wENzEL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 25, 1936`n/uc/wtofr, C15. WE/VZEL UIMM/0310.

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Patented Aug. 23, 1938 UNlTED STATES BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Charles S.Wenzel, Houston, Tex., assigner of one-fifth to J. P. Markham, Jr., andtwo-fifths to M. C. Jarvis, both of HoustomTex.

Application September 25, 1936, Serial No. 102,444

8 Claims.

The invention relates to building constructions and has reference tospecific constructions in which building panels or other buildingelements such as moldings, baseboards and doorbucks are attached tosupporting structures.

In the construction of buildings a common procedure is to provide asteel frame-work to which is secured .re-enforced concrete slabs toserve as iloors, ceilings and outer walls. It is also common to providepartitions having a suitable frame-work frequently of metal. Such slabsand frame-work are usually provided with a suitably nished coating suchas a synthetic Wear resistant composition, plaster or the like in orderthat the desired nish may be obtained. In such constructions provisionmust be made for suitably securing in place such building elements aspartitions, moldings, baseboards, etc. Difficulties are encountered insuitably anchoring such elements in the type of construction justmentioned and the present invention is concerned with problems thuspresented. Such difficulties are increased in a case of anchoring ofpartitions for it is frequently desirable that the anchoring shall besuch that the partition may be changed Without destruction thereof andyet that the anchoring is effective When the partition is in place. Itis therefore an object of the present invention to provide in a buildingconstruction an improved system of removably securing a partition inposition.

Another object is the provision of a bendable anchoring channel whichmay be removably secured to a building structure and to which may 35 befixed an anchor strip of suitable material.

A further object is a building construction in which a bendable channelmember and anchoring strips are secured to a supporting structure andutilized as a screed when applying a coating to the supportingstructure.-

The invention possesses numerous other objects and features ofadvantage, some of which, together with the foregoing, are set forth inthe following description of specic structures embody- 4 ing andutilizing the invention in a practical manner. The description is to beconsidered as illustrative only as other embodiments of the inventionwill be apparent to the skilled artisan. 50 It is intended, however,that the invention shall be construed only in the light of the prior artand the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a building construction in which theinvention is practically used for securing the partition and cooperatingelements in position.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view illustrating, in a general Way, the manner inwhich the invention is practically applied.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a bendable channel used in practicingthe invention.

Fig. 2 represents a cross-section of a portion of a building such asfloor, ceiling or wall in which l represents a base material such ashollow tile, masonry, concrete or cement. To such base is usuallyapplied a suitable surface coating 2. In order to illustrate generallythe method of practicing the invention a channel assembly 3 is shown.This assembly may be applied before coating 2 is applied or may besubsequently applied by removing a portion of the lcoating 2 to permitapplication of theassernbly.

The assembly comprises a channel 5 (see Fig. 3), of bendable materialwhich is provided With holes 6 and 'l in the webs and flangesrespectively. While this is the preferred construction, it is apparentthatsince channel 5 is of relatively light metal, the pre-formed holesmay be omitted and desired holes made by piercing the metal with therespective fasteners that pass therethrough as hereinafter set forth.Assembly 3 is secured to the base l by driving nails lil through the webor channel 5 and into base material l in order to anchor the member. Afiller strip 3 is then positioned in the channel and is securely heldtherein by flange fasteners 9 such as nails or screws. The strip 8 maybe of any suitable material, wood beingpreierable, as will be apparentfrom the complete disclosure of the invention. From this generalillustration of the principles of the invention it is apparent that theattachment of any structural element to the base l may be accomplishedby fastening or positioning of a channel assembly 3 as described at thedesired location.

Fig. 1 illustrates a practical use of the invention when removablysecuring a partition between ceiling ll and floor l2. In such case achannel assembly 3 is secured to each the ceiling Il and the floor l2 inthe proper position for a partition generally designated as l5. Coatings2 are then applied, the channel assembly 3 servingy as a screed whenapplying such coatings.

The partition generally designated as l5 cornprises a frame-work l5 towhich is attached a layer of expanded metal or wire mesh which issuitable for receiving and holding wall coatingsV 2 of suitablematerial. It is to be understood that the coatings on iloor, partitionand ceiling may be of similar or different compositions to satisfyrequirements in a given instance.

Frame-work I6 is secured to filler strip II in any suitable manner as,for example, by mortise and tenori joint as shown at I'I in Fig. 1. Ifthis type of joint is used obviously the respective members of the frameI6 may be sprung slightly to permit entry of the ends thereof into themortise in filler strip 8. Other suitable and well known methods ofsecuring frame I6 to the channel assembly may be utilized. Frame-work I6and mesh I9 having been assembled the partition is completed byapplication of wall coatings 2.

The construction for securing the partition in place is but oneillustration of a practical applicationof the invention. Fig. 1 showsthat application of the invention in the positioning of a channelassembly near the upper end of the partition I5. The invention is thusapplied in providing suitable means for attaching picture molding 2Bwhich may be readily secured in place through use of screws or nails 2I.In a similar manner a channel assembly may be made a part of the lowerportion of partition I5, as shown, to facilitate attachment of thebaseboard I8 in a manner similar to that for securing molding 20 inplace.

The invention may be used for numerous purposes in building constructionwhere it is necessary to attach one member to a second member which isof such nature that usual constructional expedients are of little or noavail. It is of special utility in connection with installation ofpartitions, particularly in cases where relocation of a partition isnecessary. In usual constructions if relocation of a partition isdesired it is necessary to destroy the partition in the removal thereofand to construct the new partition in a new location. This is avoided bythe present invention in the following manner:

Referring to Fig. 1 coating 2 is removed from the floor to theapproximate level indicated by dotted line 25. In a similar manner thecoating is removed from the ceiling as indicated by dotted line 26. Theflange-to-ller fasteners are then removed from the exposed flanges whichare then bent into the plane of tl'e channel web. Strip II is then freeto move but for the fasteners in the opposite flange of the channel 5.The partition is then moved sidewardly as a unit to withdraw theremaining fasteners from strip 8, whereupon the partition is free formovement to its new location. At the new location new channels 5 willhave been provided, one flange thereof being bent down to receive strips8. When the partition is located with said strips positioned in theangle formed by the web and the remaining flange, the channel is againformed and flange fasteners provided as before. The respective coatingat both the old and new locations can then be neatly repaired tocomplete the alteration.

If a straight member is to be secured to a base member which is biasedor irregular, as is frequently the case, a further advantage of theinvention is made apparent. In such case the desired number of channelmembers 5 are secured in place. A level-line is then drawn between endpoints and if any flanges extend above such line such flanges may bereadily sheared to the desired height. Filler strips of proper dimensionare then secured in the channels. This feature has a material advantageover the previous method of using wedges which will become loose as bydrying or otherwise.

The foregoing is illustrative and not exhaustive of the advantages ofthe invention and of the manners in which the invention may bepractically applied. Other advantages and practical applications will beapparent to one skilled in the art after referring to the foregoingdisclosure.

I claim:

l. In a building construction a support member, a bendable stripattached thereto and having an edge thereof bent outwardly therefrom toform a flange, a ller strip lying within the angle thus formed, andfastener means passing through one of the flanges of said channel tosecure the filler strip therein.

2. In a building construction a support member, a bendable stripattached thereto and having an edge thereof bent outwardly therefrom toform a flange, a ller strip lying within the angle thus formed, fastenermeans passing through the channel flanges to secure the filler striptherein, and a finish coat on said support member.

3. In a building construction a support member, a bendable stripattached thereto and having the edges thereof bent outwardly to form achannel, a filler strip lying within said channel and secured thereto,and a finish coat on said support member, the surface of said coat beingflush with the channel edges.

4. In a building construction a support member, a bendable stripattached thereto and having the edges thereof bent outwardly to form achannel, a filler strip lying within said channel, fasteners passingthrough the flanges of the channel to secure the filler strip thereinand a finish coat on said support member, the surface of said coat beingflush with the channel edges.

5. In a building construction a support member, a channel member ofbendable material attached to said support, a filler strip within thcchannel of said member, fastening means passing through the sides ofsaid member to secure said filler strip therein, and a structuralelement attached to said strip.

6. In a building construction a support niember, a channel member ofbendable material attached to said support, a filler strip within thechannel of said member, fastening means passing through the sides ofsaid member to secure said filler strip therein, a finish coat on saidsupport member, said channel member comprising a screed for applyingsaid finish coat, and a structural element attached to said fillerstrip.

'7. In a method of installing a partition the steps of attachingbendable channels to the floor and ceiling in the locating plane of saidpartition, trimming the flanges of' said channels to a level line andsecuring wood strips within said channels, said strips having theirexposed faces in the plane of the level line.

8. A method of installing and attaching a unitary partition to coatedsurfaces comprising the steps of removing the coating from the supportsin the plane of the desired location, securing bendable L-members to thefloor and ceiling with the upstanding flanges in the plane of one faceof the desired partition, positioning the partition unit against saidupstanding flanges, flanging the horizontal edges of the bendableinembers against the other face of the partition, whereby anchoringchannels are formed, and recoating the supporting surfaces adjacent theanchoring channels.

CHARLES S. WENZEL`

